News Releases

Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital Presents Camp Wonder Hands July 21-26
07/01/2013 Editor’s Note: Media are invited to visit the camp any time during the week. Directions to the camp are listed below. Please let us know if you are planning on visiting the camp so we can alert organizers.

ABOUT: Camp Wonder Hands, led by Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital, offers summer camp experience for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Camp Wonder Hands is a five-day camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing children ages 7-15. Campers from 17 South Carolina counties will attend next week’s free camp. Campers are sponsored by scholarships provided by Children’s Hospital and private, civic or corporate donations.

Many of the children who attend Camp Wonder Hands cannot speak, so communication skills such as sign language, lip-reading, facial expressions and touch are used. The camp requires a higher ratio of staff to campers because sign language interpreters will be with the children at all times and are required for every activity.

“We’re excited about having a Medieval Times theme this year,” said camp director Emmanuel Taylor, RN, BSN. Activities include a knighting ceremony, jousting contest, Maypole dance and picnic, a Celebration Night feast, and favorites such as arts and crafts, swimming and campfires.

Directions to Camp Wonder Hands:
The Kinard Conference Center is approximately seven miles south of Batesburg-Leesville and 20 miles west of Columbia. From Columbia, take I-20 toward Augusta. Turn off I-20 at Exit 44 (Road 34) and go towards Batesburg-Leesville for four miles. Turn left on Two Notch Road. The entrance is one mile on the left.